Register transfer mechanism



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 16, 1937- J. c. WOODFORD REGISTER TRANSFER MECHANISM Original Filed Oct. .51, 1954 NEY R o T N E V m ATT Iii;

J3 {LIVERED LQ k J I JOSEPH C. Woooroea, BY

0 PO E AfIl-SS T PRICE 122R /AMO i k Lacxm T0 Nov. 16, 1937, J. 'c. WOODFORD REGISTER v TRANSFER MECHANISM Original Filed Oct. 51, 1934 3 Sheets$heet 2 7 in!!! UHH W 5 or w 9 w o w Infl\ o O 5 7 1 1 m my 2 g Q M 1 m 0 I m f 0 I F 7 o. ,w 1 A 0 w 1 3 5 J fiz W 9 mVENToR JOSEPH C hrbooroea ATTO RN E. T

Nov. 16, 1937. J. c. WOODFORD 2,

REGISTER TRANSFER MECHANISM I Original Filed Oct. 51, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet s r M W INVENTOH ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 16, 1937 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE John Wood Manufacturing Company,

Inc.,

Conshohocken, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Original application October 31, 1934, Serial No. 750,805. Divided and this application April 22,

1935, Serial No. 17,691

1 Claim.

This is a division of my application Serial No. 750,805 filed October 31, 1934, for Letters Patent of the United States for Improvement in computing and registering mechanism for liquiddispensing apparatus. Said registering mechanism includes pairs of rotary dials respectively. indicating units and fractions of units for cooperative display through windows in a stationary panel. For instance, one pair indicates gallons and fractions of a gallon and the other pair indicates dollars and fractions of a dollar. The claims herein relate to the means for turning the unit dial from one unit mark to the next instantaneously upon the completion of each rotation of the fractional dial.

As hereinafter described, such means conveniently includes a spring continually stressing the unit dial to advance it and an escapement controlling said spring and means for releasing said 20 escapement by movement of the fractional dial.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

In said drawings, Fig. I is an elevation of said 5 panel and the dial structure provided with indicating means adapted for registration with the windows in said panel.

Fig. II is a vertical sectional view of the computing and registering mechanism including said dials, taken on the line II, II in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a fragmentary plan view showing the connections for operating the dollars dials by the cents dials, which dials are in coaxial relation, as shown in Fig. I. I

Fig. IV is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken on the line IV, IV in Fig. III, in the direction of the arrows on said line.

Fig. V is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken on the line V, V in Fig. III, in the direction 40 of the arrows on said line, showing the escapement for the spring connection between said dollars and cents dials.

Fig. VI is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken on the line VI, VI in Fig. III, showing the spring pressed pawl and one toothed ratchet connecting the coaxial shafts of said dollars and cents dials.

Referring to Fig. I, the stationary panel I has the window 2 for the display of rotary dials 3 and 4 respectively graduated with circumferential series of marks indicating fractions of a gallon and gallons, which marks are caused to successively register with the stationary index pointers 5 and 6. Said panel has the window 8 for the 55 display of rotary dials 9 and I0 graduated with circumferential series of marks indicating fractions of a dollar and dollars, which marks are caused to successively register with the stationary index pointers II and I2.

Referring to Fig. II; said dial I0 is rigidly connected with the axial shaft 14 which is journaled in the opposite end walls 15 and I6 and the intermediate wall H. which are rigidly connected by the bottom wall 18 and the top wall 20 to form a casing for the mechanism for turning said dials. Said shaft I4 is encircled by the spring- 2| which has its right hand end shown in Fig. III fixed in the hub of the ratchet 22 also shown in Fig. V, on said shaft, and its oppositeend fixed in the lever 23 which is fulcrumed on said shaft [4 and has its outer end continually engaged with the stud 24 on said intermediate frame wall l1. Said spring 21 is initially wound on the shaft l4 so that in zero position of said dollars dial In, said spring is subjected to such torque as to enable it to turn said shaft 14 a complete revolution, clockwise as seen in Fig. V, with such force as to continually hold it and said dial ID in proper position, determined by the engagement of said ratchet wheel 22 by the escapement shown in Fig. V, as said spring unwinds. Said spring is rewound to its original tension by the operation of setting back the registering mechanism to its zero position, after each dispensing operation, as hereinafter described, by means of the gear pinion 26 which is rigidly connected with said shaft M and in mesh with the sectoral gear 21 which is loose on the cents dials connecting shaft 28. Said spring 2| is permitted to advance said dollars dial I0 by means of the escapement illustrated in Figs. III and V, including the ratchet wheel 22. Said ratchet wheel has, in cooperative relation therewith, the two escapement pawls 3i and 32 which are both fulcrumed on the pin 33 in the bracket 3 rigidly connected with said Wall plate l6, as indicated in Fig. III. However, as indicated in Fig. V, the sole difference between said pawls 3| and 32 is that the pawl 32 is shorter from its fulcrum to its edge engaging said ratchet 22 than the pawl 3|. Both of said pawls are pressed into cooperative relation with said ratchet 22 by the spring 35, the respective bifurcations of which independently press upon said pawls.

Said pawls 3i and 32 are tripped in succession by respective tappets 31 and 38 so as to successively engage each tooth of said ratchet 22 and prevent escapement of more than one tooth thereof at each revolution of said tappets. Said tappets are rigidly connected with each other and with the circumferential flange 39 by the sleeve 40 which is loose on said shaft 28 .but operatively connected to be turned by said shaft counterclockwise in Fig. V by means of the pin pawl 42 carried by the collar 43 which is rigidly connected with said shaft 28 by the set screw Mi shown in Fig. III. Said pin pawl 42 is continually stressed inward by the spring t5 shown in Figs. III and V which is connected at one end to said collar W; so that said pin pawl (which is like that shown-in Fig. VD' engages the single toothed ratchet at, as shown in Fig. V, to normally turn said tappets 3i and 38 counterclockwise in Fig. V, as if they were rigidly connected with said shaft 28. That ratchet and pawl connection between said shaft 2% and said tappets 311 and 38 is merely to permit said shaft to be turned clockwise independently of said tappets during the resetting operation which winds said spring 2|, because said tappets cannot be turned in that direction, being stopped by contact of the tappet .38 with the free end of the pawl 3'2, as may be observed with reference to Fig. V. Said circumferential flange 39 merely serves to separate the free ends of said pawls 3i and 32, as indicated in Figs. III and V, so as to prevent them from interfering with each other.

Said shaft 28 turns counterclockwise .in Fig. V and with the effect that at the completion of each revolution of the cents dial a, said pawl 30 is first tripped, by the tappet 3?, to permit the shaft M and its ratchet 22 to turn the slight angular extent from engagement with the pawl M to engagement with the pawl 32; so that the pawl M is replaced in contact with the ratchet 22 shown in Fig. V, past the crest of the tooth of said ratchet caught by said pawl 32. Thereupon, the pawl 32 is tripped, by the tappet 33, so as to permit said shaft M and ratchet 22 to turn the angular extent from one of the ratchet teeth to the next, which is stopped against the end of said pawl 3!. in the position shown in Fig. V, thus advancing said dollars dial ill the extent of one dollar, i. e., one-tenth of a revolution for each revolution of said cents dial El.

As shown in Fig. 11, said cents dial 9 is rigidly connected with the tubular shaft 4'1! which is conveniently journaled on. said shaft M and carries the gear Mi by which it is turned, being driven by the pinion shaft 49 of the computing mechanism which is the subject matter of my original application aforesaid. Said gear W is only frictionally engaged with said shaft ll by means of the spring 5! interposed between said gear and the collar 52 pinned on said shaft 41 so as to thrust said gear into frictional contact with the clutch ring 53 between said gear 48 and the collar 54 on said shaft. Such frictional engagement permits said dial 9. to be reset to its initial position without rotation of said gear 48 which is then held stationary by its engagement with the computing mechanism pinion 49.

The gear 56 is rigidly connected with said tubular shaft t1, as indicated in Fig. II, and, as indicated in Fig. 111. is engaged with the gear hi on said shaft 28 so that the latter makes one revolution for each revolution of said cents dial 9, to turn the tappets 31 and 38 as above described. Said shaft 28 is turned to reset said dial 9 to zero .position by manually operative means including the gear 58 shown in Fig. 111, which is frictionally engaged with said shaft 28 by the spring 60 interposed between said gear and the collar 6| which is rigidly connected with said shaft by the set screw 52. Said spring thrusts said gear axially upon said shaft 28 so as to engage the friction disk M with the collar 65 which is fixed on said shaft 28. Said dial 9 is stopped in zero position by the pinifi on the latch 6b which is hung on said stud it, as shown in Figs. m and IV. The zero position is reached when the inner end of the notch 21 in the sectoral gear 27 encounters said pin 66.

As indicated in Fig. II, I'flnd it convenient to duplicate said stationary panel and rotary dials at opposite ends of said casing so as to simultaneously manifest'the similar dial numbers upon said opposite ends. Said panels are respectively supported in rigid relation with said end walls if and I6 by brackets t1! and 68.

Athough I have found it convenient to form said ratchet 22 with ten teeth for registration of monetary value upon the decimal system, it may be otherwise formed. Therefore, I do not desireto limit myself tothe precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claim.

I claim: In-a tens-transfer mechanism; the combination with two rotary members respectively of a higher'and lower decimal order, of means for effecting a rotary movement of the member of the higher order by each complete rotation of the member of the lower order, including a. spring, continually stressing said member .of the higher order to advance it; means for controlling the advancement of said member of the higher order, including an axial shaft in rigid relation therewith, a ratchet wheel in rigid relation with said shaft, two pawls, of respectively different length, for engaging said wheel in circumferentially spaced relation thereto; means for effecting escapement of said wheel from one tooth to the next with respect to said pawls, including two rotary tappet cams in circumferentially spaced relation; means for revolving said tappet cams; and means operatively connecting said cams with said member-of the lower order to automatically trip said pawls at each rotation of the latter member; whereby said pawls are successively tripped by said cams, and successively engage each tooth of said wheel, and limit each movement of said rotary member of the higher order to the angle between adjoining" teeth of said wheel.

JOSEPH C. WOODFORD. 

